In the field of surgery, open surgical procedures involve creating a relatively large incision in the abdomen of a patient allowing the surgeon to access various organs. On the other hand, laparoscopic surgical procedures involve accessing organs through one or more small incisions, which makes these procedures less invasive than open surgery. Since laparoscopic procedures are less invasive, hospitalization times are typically reduced, patients require less therapy, patients experience less pain, scarring is reduced, and the likelihood of complications is reduced.
In laparoscopic procedures, a miniature camera can be introduced into the body of the patient through an incision. The camera transmits images to a video monitor enabling the surgeon to view the patient's organs for diagnosing and treating the patient as needed. The surgeon can also introduce surgical instruments and auxiliary devices, such as irrigation and drainage devices, through one or more additional small incisions.
One challenge regarding the use of surgical tools is sterilization, since surgical tools must be sterile in order to be used in an operating context. One school of thought is to always use disposable tools, which are used once and then discarded. Although this may seem wasteful, there are some benefits to this methodology. For instance, a surgeon has the assurance that new tools will be sterile. New tools are at the beginning of their effective life and are therefore more reliable. Among other benefits, there can be reduction in a hospital's liability since the transfer of pathogens from one patient to another is essentially eliminated.
Another school of thought is that many tools can be sterilized after use and should therefore be reused. Particularly, this methodology can be beneficial with respect to more expensive tools or those that are very reliable. By sterilizing tools, waste can be minimized. Some tools can be autoclaved, which is a sterilizing procedure that involves exposing the tools to high pressure and high temperature steam, which kills any biological matter on the tools. However, since only certain types of tools, such as stainless steel tools, can be autoclaved, other tools should be sterilized using other methods. For example, tools that contain parts that are sensitive to heat or moisture, such as electronic circuitry, can often be sterilized using other sterilization procedures. A difficulty with sterilization methodologies, however, is that a hospital will be required to dedicate a facility within the hospital for sterilization practices and must follow an effective program to ensure proper enforcement of sterilization procedures.
Based on the advantages and disadvantages of the two schools of thought as mentioned above, there is a trade-off between the concepts of using disposable tools and using tools that can be sterilized after use. An intermediate position can be taken between disposable tools and reusable tools, referred to herein as “reposable” tools. Reposable tools are designed such that a portion of the tool is disposable and a portion of the tool is reusable.